End of an Internet Era

Last week it was announced that my favorite television-related Web site, Television Without Pity, is being acquired by BRAVO TV. For the uninitiated, TWoP has recaps of television shows, along with the best message boards that I have found in cyberspace. Much of the reason is that posters are required to be polite and respectful to each other and direct their praise or their ire at the television programs and the people responsible. Proper spelling and punctuation are required. I’ve found TWoP posters to be unfailingly witty, insightful, hilarious, literate, knowledgeable and, of course, snarky. It wouldn't be TWoP without the snark. As their motto says, "Spare the snark, spoil the networks." Poster there can also be a fount of information. Need an answer to some obscure television reference? Can’t find a link to an article about your favorite show/actor/producer? Need a recipe for that wacky dish your neighbor made when you were a kid? Not to worry -- the good posters at TWoP have probably got that information right at their fingertips and are happy to share it.

So I greeted the news of the acquisition with a bit of trepidation. Despite the good intentions of the TWoP czars and the folks at BRAVO, I think it’s only a matter of time before TWoP as I know it disappears. Organizations with deep pockets like BRAVO, which itself is owned by GE, will always become the target of those out to make a quick buck. Someone will get their nose out of joint because some poster on some board said something mean about them. Next thing you know there will be lawsuits and depositions, followed by language and content restrictions on in the recaps and on the boards.

As much as I’m going to miss the TWoP that I know and love, I can’t fault Glark and Sars and Wing Chun for selling. They’ve labored long and hard for probably not so much money and they deserve to get paid for their efforts. But I think they’re naive if they think BRAVO won’t directly or indirectly try to influence the content of their site. It’s inevitable. The current executives will be out of there sooner rather than later and who knows what the attitude of the next batch will be.

So, good-bye, TWoP. I hope that whatever form you morph into will be as much fun and as interesting as what’s come before. Sadly, the pessimist in me doesn’t think that’s the way that things will turn out. But, boy, would I love to be proved wrong.

Bye-bye, AG?

Pressure has been mounting for the last week for Alberto Gonzales to either quit or be fired. The former might happen, but there’s no way in hell that the latter will. Chucklehead (that's my pet name for the president-select; you'll get used to it) would view firing him as an admission of failure. Besides, I’m sure Bush thinks Alberto is doing a heck of a job. Because instead of doing the job that he was sworn to do (upholding the Constitution and the laws of our country, that sort of thing), Gonzales has focused on covering Bush’s ass. And Bush likes people who come behind and clean up the mess and chaos he creates.

That said, I kind of think it would be a good idea to keep Gonzales around for a while. When the new person is put in place, Democrats will have to back off on their efforts to discover just what the hell these people have been up to and give the new guy (you know it’s going to be a guy) a chance. There'll be the requisite honeymoon period in which Republicans would whine and complain if Dems continued to push to discover what else these folks have been up to. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is much, much more to uncover.

So, please, stick around, Mr. Gonzales. We need you to hang on long enough for the evidence that will send your sorry butt, and hopefully your boss’ to jail for a long, long time.

It's Quiz Time!

In my previous post, I mentioned my friend Dennis' blog. Over the last couple of years, he's periodically posted a movie quiz. Well, he's at it again. I highly recommend that you check it out and perhaps post your own answers to the quiz. Don't be intimidated by the rather esoteric answers posted by some of the respondents. Dennis has many serious film buffs that participate. But the beauty of the Web is that there's room for everyone.


I posted my answers earlier today and thought I'd share my answer to the 'Extra Credit' question.

Good question. For me, the answer is a qualified yes. I still want to enjoy going to the movies, but too often these days am disappointed when I do. For as long as I can remember, most of the time when I went to see a movie it was a wonderful experience. In the days before the prevalence of VCRs and DVDs I loved watching old movies on television. These days I probably go and see half as many movies in the theater as I did say five years ago.

I’m one of the ever-decreasing part of the public that prefers going to the theater. But the increasingly rude audience members, the sky-high ticket prices and the mediocre moves are discouraging me from putting down the TiVo remote and taking myself off to the movies.

I want to like them, I really do. There’s nothing like the feeling of being transported to a world you’ve literally never seen before or one that you seen, but not in quite that way. It’s exhilarating and wondrous and illuminating and just plain fun. I always hope for that kind of experience when I go to the movies. Unfortunately, it rarely happens these days.

But hope springs eternal each time the lights go down and the first strains of the soundtrack begin. Will this be the one? Too often these days the answer is no.

Also just realized that I didn't answer all the questions. Dennis is sure to take off point for that. I'll try to remember to go back later and add those answers.

WELCOME!!

Welcome to my blog! As many of you know, I’m not without opinions on just about every subject under the sun. So I’ve decided it’s time to share my ramblings with the world. I know others who have blogs devoted to a particular topic. For instance, my friend Dennis is doing great work over on his blog (please check him out at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule). At the moment, I don’t plan to limit myself to any topic, theme or subject matter here. Rather, I want to just talk about whatever is on my mind.

What kinds of things are on my mind, you ask? Well, I can tell you without question what is not. There will be no mention of Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, or their ilk. That kind of pop culture pabulum is readily available elsewhere. And despite my political bent (staunch Lefty and proud of it!), there were be no Barak/Hillary mentions either. You’re gonna have to wait about a year before I’ll even go there. The California primary is a year from now and the general election is almost two years ago, for heaven’s sake!

Other than that, everything is fair game. But expect large doses of stuff about television, movies and other entertainment/media related stuff. I do work in ‘the business,’ after all. Also, expect lots and lots of politics. The idiots in charge in Washington (I’m talking to you, Chucklehead and Shooter, aka the president and vice president) will, I’m sure, continue to provide enough material for a thousand blog entries.

Please post comments as you see fit. I’d love to hear from you. And with that, let’s blog!!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Janet!